As we rouse ourselves this week we find that we are not alone in suffering under escalating power bills -- and that there seems to be a pattern in the ways mega-corporate power companies keep their ratepayers struggling. Their fellow big tech corporations' data centers, however, get kid-gloves treatment by utilities and by the job-hungry states where they might land.

Meanwhile, Maryland's well-intentioned tax break attempting to get every school kid in appropriate clothes and with needed supplies may have a downside. But just a temporary one, like the tax break. More serious would be the permanent loss of the Beltsville Agricultural Research center as a result of another brainless reorganization-for-its-own-sake move by the Trump gang, all chosen to be as brainless (and compliant to the Big Boss) as his own self. Those with a brain are rallying to keep it here.

Meanwhile, another episode of brainlessness, Trump has taken over law enforcement in DC, his latest attempt to distract attention from the Epstein Mystery. Even with Congress on vacation, it's News You Can Use.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Maryland Projected To Lose $9.3 Million In Revenue During Tax-Free Week: Maryland tax-free week, an annual tax holiday that removes the 6% sales tax from clothing and shoes under $100, starts Sunday. And while it’s touted as a way to offer families the opportunity to shop at a reduced cost, it also yields a revenue loss for the state. The comptroller’s office told the Sun in an email that the Maryland Bureau of Revenue Estimates projects that the state will lose $9.3 million in revenue as a result of the tax-free week. Baltimore Sun

Trump’s plan rips 2,600 USDA jobs from Maryland and DC area, shutters major research hub

A Trump administration plan to shutter one of the nation’s largest agricultural research centers in Prince George’s County has opponents fearing the closure would threaten public health research while yanking thousands of federal jobs out of Maryland. President Donald Trump ordered the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture by moving about 2,600 agency jobs out of a total of 4,600 in the Capital region to newly created hubs across the country. Several USDA facilities in Maryland and Washington, D.C., would close, including the 6,500-acre Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are urging Congress and the courts to block the reorganization, saying a BARC closure would undercut its mission, endanger public safety and waste taxpayers’ dollars. Baltimore Sun

Summaries from Maryland Reporter

More People With Developmental Disabilities Go Without Medicaid: An increasing number of people with developmental disabilities are falling through the cracks of Medicaid, going months without health care coverage because the state can’t keep pace with new applications and wrongful termination appeals. Maryland Matters.

Carroll Proposal Would Require Licensing For 'Cat Colonies:' A proposal to require “cat colonies” in Carroll County to be licensed and regulated drew criticism from cat caretakers at a county hearing Thursday. The proposal would create an authority for licensing of cats by adding a definition for a “trap-neuter-release colony.” It would also add some dog-related rules, including banning people from tethering dogs outside for more than eight hours at a time. Carroll County Times

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Wind Wars: Ocean City Finds Two Paths to Challenge MD Offshore Wind Permit: Ocean City is pursuing every avenue in its ongoing fight to block an offshore wind farm — including one avenue that didn’t appear to exist until a month ago. Maryland Matters

THE OTHER 49

The Push And Pull On Militarizing ICE   ID: Idaho governor authorizes National Guard to support ICE | Idaho Capital Sun BUT   NV: Nevada governor hammered for authorizing state National Guard to help ICE | Nevada Current both via Stateline Daily

WVA Joins Maryland, 30 Other States Allowing Prep INL Practices West Virginia high school and middle school athletes are now able to get paid for name, image and likeness deals, West Virginia Watch reports. The state school board approved the first NIL policy for student-athletes, which has gone into effect. Since the NCAA in 2021 allowed college athletes to profit from their NIL, more than 40 states (including MD and VA] have adopted laws and state high school association rules governing NIL for young athletes. (Stateline)

ENERGY: Lawmakers in seven states have introduced bills to require utilities to disclose how they vote in business meetings related to PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator. States served by PJM [which include Maryland]  are frustrated that energy costs have risen 20% since June, with another 5% increase slated for next summer. Delaware approved legislation last month to require more disclosure. New Jersey legislation is awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) signature. The Pennsylvania House has adopted a bill to require utilities to submit annual reports on their votes in PJM business meetings. States covered by PJM plan to meet next month in Philadelphia to discuss reform options. (Pluribus News) (paywalled)

Florida Rep. Lashes Out At Captive Public Service Commissions Angry that state public service commissions appear to be captured by the utility companies they are supposed to regulate (at the expense of ratepayers), Rep. Kathy Kastor of Florida has (re)filed a bill to increase scrutiny of the system. “We should rename the public service commission to utility service commission, because more often than not they serve the electric utilities rather than the public,” Rep. Castor said. Her bill would forbid utilities from using ratepayers’ payments to finance lobbying and PR efforts. Utility Dive

Reining In Data Centers’ Dominance Of Power Use:  As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act

 Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers. It’s not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta. But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines. (AP)

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

Trump has gotten a lot of frankly racist mileage out of presenting the US as a hellscape of violent crime. In 2024 (yes, well before Trump) it dropped a lot. Ask the FBI. Violent crime in the United States fell 4.5% in 2024, according to a new FBI report, while property crime dropped 8.1% from the previous year. The declines continue a trend seen since crime surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, [remind us: who was President then?] when homicides jumped nearly 30% in 2020 — one of the largest one-year increases since the FBI began keeping records in 1930. By 2022, violent crime had fallen close to pre-pandemic levels.

Homicides, which the FBI classifies as murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, dropped nearly 15% in 2024. Property crime also fell across all major categories, with motor vehicle theft down 18.6%, burglary down 8.6% and larceny-theft down 5.5%. Reported hate crimes decreased 1.5% from the previous year. (Stateline Daily)

Nevertheless, Trump’s latest Roy Cohn, the right-wing lawfare specialist Mike Davis, says DC is a “third-world Marxist hellhole” and pushes to have the Home Rule Act overturned by Congress. Trump in a Monday announcement  mobilized the FBI and National Guard to police the streets and, not incidentally, remove all unhoused persons from the District. (POLITICO)

This is all too close to home. See Progressive Maryland’s rapid response HERE